Arthur nodded as he figured putting word out meant either telling the neighbours and having them relay it through word of mouth; he'd dread it if it meant going door to door.
"Does that mean married women aren't allowed to work?"
"Yes, a woman with a husband doesn't need to work, if the husband lacks a job or has no form of income then she's free to divorce him and start working for herself."
She explained and made Arthur feel that there seemed to be at least an upside and not everything benefited a man.
"What if she has a child?"
"Then the Kingdom will support her financially if her work is not enough to support her and her child"
She said but found it odd that he was asking such questions, however, she didn't question him after all even if he's been in the country for three years it's possible not to know such things.
"I see, well I guess that's all my questions, do you have any questions for me?"
He asked, they hadn't agreed whether or not they would ask each other questions, however he felt that since he's been asking questions, it's only fair she does the same.
Hearing his words she hesitated to ask but cleared her throat before deciding to just ask.
"Uhm… husband, am I allowed to pursue a hobby that is to my liking?"
She asked, feeling a sense of nervousness and expecting him not to agree to her request.
"Of course, but what do you mean, by 'am I allowed'?"
"Well… sometimes a hobby may mean that I focus less on my duties as a wife, I may forget to clean the house, or end up lacking in my duties as a wife"
"That's why we're hiring maids isn't it? So that you may have the free time to do something you want."
He said, finding it oddly contradictory to have a maid and yet still being worried about not being able to perform her duties.
"Yes that is true however maids are meant to only be helping hands and aid for particular occasions, not replacements. If I'm too tired to cook that just means I have to give them instructions they can't do my duties for me but instead support me so that I'm not overwhelmed"
"You don't have to worry about that, you can pursue whatever hobby you'd like"
He agreed, as an explorer he won't be going to work most of the time, since for the most part he has a lot of money right now, so she doesn't need to worry about him coming home from work tired and hungry.
"Thank you"
"Hardly anything worth thanking me for, if you can't enjoy things you love then as a husband I'm a failure"
He said and received a surprise stare from his wife, one that made him raise his brow in confusion.
"Is something the matter?"
"No, it's just that your words surprised me, I've never heard of that way of thinking before"
She said and he found himself unable to respond to her words, to him his words were just how married couples were supposed to work.
Just because you're married doesn't mean you have to give up some of the things you love, sure you probably won't do them as much as you're used to but that in no way means you should stop.
There was a silence that stretched on for several minutes as neither had anything to say to the other. It wasn't until they were finishing up eating that Arthur spoke, interrupting the silence.
"By the way, I'll be using the basement to exercise today, so after this I'll head down there."
He informed her before eating the last bite of his food.
"How long will you be exercising for?"
"It shouldn't be long, an hour or two"
"All right, I'll prepare as well"
She said as she stood up and quickly gathered the plates before making her way to the kitchen with the plate in hand.
"I'll be in the basement, you can go to bed first"
He uttered while getting up from his chair and made his way towards the basement.
....
In the kitchen, Esme steadily washed the dishes, while her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but feel happy and excited.
She had finally got herself a husband, her face had a perpetual smile that seemed to threaten to split her face open, her hands washed the dishes as she hummed to herself, and there was also a little bounce and bobbing of her head as she washed the plates.
Before she began washing the dishes, she had changed her dress into a much simpler one, and had taken off her emerald necklace and carefully placed it on the counter a bit far from the dishes.
Ever since her mother had died, there was hardly anyone in the castle who would look at her with any form of respect, and her sisters saw her as nothing but a commoner so she didn't really get along with them and her brothers were always rough on her.
She had always wanted to leave that place, get away from her family but unfortunately, that never seemed like it was possible, with the sickness her mother died from and the physician telling her father she would have it too, it made it impossible for her to get married.
Of course, no man would want to marry a woman who would die and leave her children behind, especially if she gave birth to a girl instead of a boy.
Her present smile stretched further blossoming onto her beautiful and enchanting face, Arthur showing up in front of the castle with a slain Gryphon and asking to speak to her was a sight that filled her with joy.
She didn't know him, however, the fact that someone was willing to put his life at risk like that just for her worthless hand in marriage made her heart flutter.
In her musings, she couldn't help but remember the words one of her sisters once spoke to her.
"It would be fruitful of you to sell yourself to some brothel, no man of any birth, noble or common would think of you worthy of being their spouse."
It was her sister Judith who spoke such terrible words to her. At the time Esme was observing the servants in the palace to learn more about her future duties as a wife. She was 16 during that time so she knew no noble would marry her.
However, she thought that by being a good wife to a commoner man then she could live a relatively normal and happy life.
Esme had tried her best to ignore her sister's words, however, they had echoed in her mind ever since, and in some way, she ended up believing them to be true.
The fact that she became a grown woman without ever receiving anything resembling a proposal was proof.
Typically the age of fourteen is when the proposals are supposed to come and by sixteen a fiancée would already be chosen and she'll spend the next two years getting to know him before being married at eighteen.
If you have not married by that time then your honour as a woman has been lost, the same can be said for men as well, of course, commoners worked under different rules but generally followed noble rules.
This is why she was really happy and still is happy that Arthur came for her hand and her honour has been restored.
The smile on her face never faded until she finished doing the dishes and dried them. She was also happy because this would be their first night and they were to consummate their marriage and she was hoping to get pregnant
"Oh! I need to get ready for him"
She said with excitement and enthusiasm before she quickly put the dishes where they belonged and practically ran to the bedroom.
Once she was in she went into her luggage, opened the bag, and hurriedly rummaged through it, looking for her silk underwear and chemise dress, she also realised that she needed to take a bath before that.
"He said he was going to be exercising, as such I have time"
However, just as those words left her mouth, the excitement died as she was reminded of something. The realisation stopped her in her tracks and her mood was immediately flipped.
"...."